Improved lever-lock for wagon-brakes



'2 Sheets-Sheet 1. w. K. JOHNSTON. I

Lever Lock for wagon Brakes. No. 72,502. Patented Deg 24, 1867' 54 $5115. Fagin-WM. Wahinm D. '2.

2 Sheets-Sheet 2. W- K. JOHNSTON.

Lever Lock for Wag n Brakes.

.NO. 72,502. Patented Dec. .24, 1867.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.-

WILLIAM K. JOHNSTON, OF OORDOVA, ILLINOIS.

IMPROVED LEVER-LOCK FOR WAGON-BRAKES.

Specification'forming part of Letters Patent No. 72,502, dated December 24, 1867.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, WILLIAM K. JOHNSTON, of Oordova, in the county of Rock Island and State of Illinois, have invented a new and Improved Lever-Lock for Wagon-Brakes; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, making part of this specification, in which- Figure l is an elevation of a portion of one side of a wagon having my improved leverlock applied to it. Fig. 2 is a sectional view of the lever and its locking device. Fig. 3 is an edge view of the device.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts-in the several figures.

This invention relates to anew and improved device which, when applied to the hand-lever of a wagon-brake, will securely lock said lever in whatever position it may be placed, and which will at the same time admit of the unlockingof the hand-lever by the act of grasping the latter in the hand.

The nature of my invention consists in combining with a vibrating hand-lever, which is guided by a fixed segment, a spring :lockinglever which is so constructed and applied that while it will automatically gripe the segment-guide with such force as to prevent the ban d-lever from slipping backward, this handlever can be instantly released at pleasure, and vibrated forward or backward, as will be hereinafter described.

To enable others skilled in the art to understand my invention, Iwill describe its construction and operation.

In the accompanying drawings, Arepresents a portion of a wagon-body; B, a brake-shoe, which is applied upon the brake-lever C so as to press backward against the rear wheel, D. The brake-lever and brake-shoes may be constructed as shown in the drawings, or these parts may be constructed and applied in any other suitable or well-known manner.

Lever U is connected to a hand-lever, G, by-

means ofa rod, a, which is secured to this lever a short distance above its fulcrum or pivot 19, as shown in Fig. 1. This hand-lever G is arranged upon one side of the wagon-bodyA so as to project up alongside of the drivers seat A in a convenient position for the driver to grasp its upper end and vibrate it forward or backward. The pin p at the lower end of handlever G pivots this lever to the arms F, which are rigidly secured to the side of the wagonbody.

To the upper extremities of the arms F a segment-bar,E is secured by means of screws and oii'sets,.which bar passes through a hole made through the lever G, and serves as a guide as well as a brace for this lever. The bar E is concentric to the axis of motion of said hand-lever.

to the lever G, below the segment E, so as to project beyond the front edge of this lever, and between these two projecting ends of g g, I pivot the locking-lever J by means of a pinyi. The lever J is in this manner connected to the hand-lever Gr, so that both will move together about the axis of the pivot-pin p.

The upper end of lever J has a sort of hand piece formed on it, which can be grasped by the same hand grasping-lever G, and at the same time.

The segment-bar E passes through a hole which is made through lever J, the upper end of which may be slightly beveled, so as to leave a griping portion at s, Fig. 2, which, when the two levers are forced apart by means of a spring, b, interposed between them, as shown, will bind hard upon the upper and lower edges of said segment-bar and prevent lever G from being drawn backward by any ordinary strain upon the brakes.

To release the brakes it is only necessary to grasp the upper ends of the two levers with I the hand, and thus draw lever J toward lever G. When released again the spring b will cause the levers to be forced apart, and lever J will be locked.

to a hand-lever of a wagon-brake I dispense with ratchets and pawls and other devices which are very troublesome and inconvenient, and obtain a much safer means of lockin g the hand-lever in any desired position and releas ing it at pleasure.

I have described my invention as being especially adapted for wagon-brakes but it may be applied to advantage to levers for various purposes, where it is desired to positively ar- Two ears or plates, 9 g, are secured rigidly' By this simple arrangementor attachmentrest them in different positions, and prevent 3. The stationary frame E F, in combinathem from liability of slipping backward. tion with hand-lever G,locking"-1ever J, spring Having described my invention, what I b, and a connecting-rod, a, constructed and claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters operating substantially as described.

Patent, is

1. The combination of a pivoted self-locking WM. K. JOHNSTON. lever, J, and segment E with the vibrating hand-lever Gr, substantially as described. Witnesses:

2. The fixed segment E, passing through D. ZIMMERMAN, both the hand-lever G and its pivoted spring TI'IOS. KARR.

locking-lever J, substantially as described. 

